HTC Butterfly 3 could be less One M9 and more One M9 Plus!

A new HTC One smartphone is just about to launch: this is no longer up for debate. In a little over a week, while MWC 2015 is just getting warmed up, HTC is set to unveil the handset we’re expecting to arrive as the One M9. But for the last couple years now, the company’s flagship One-series handset has found itself flanked by a close cousin for Asian markets, the Butterfly. Last year’s Butterfly 2 (pictured) got a bit of a late start, not launching until August, but this week we’re already hearing about plans for a follow-up as rumored details emerge about the HTC Butterfly 3.

Unlike the HTC One M9, which may arrive with a five-inch 1080p display, the Butterfly 3 is tipped to score a 5.2-inch quad HD component, more in like with our expectations for the possible One M9 Plus.

For the moment, that’s about all we have to go on: no further info about the phone’s hardware, nor mention of a release timetable. We’re especially curious about that latter detail, as it could conceivably be months and months before HTC’s ready to go official with the Butterfly 3. Until we hear more about any possible plans, our best bet may be to just pay close attention to how One M9 Plus rumors play out, and see if we can’t draw any new inferences about to expect from Butterfly 3 hardware.